23 people injured after tour boat hit by ‘lava bomb’

SHANE TURPIN

JOHN BURNETT/Tribune-Herald A front view of the Lava Ocean Tours boat “Hot Spot” Monday morning at Wailoa Small Boat Harbor in Hilo.

JOHN BURNETT/Tribune-Herald

A police officer secures the Lava Ocean Tours boat “Hot Spot” Monday morning at Wailoa Small Boat Harbor in Hilo.

This photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows damage to the roof of a tour boat after an explosion sent lava flying through the roof off the Big Island of Hawaii Monday, July 16, 2018, injuring at least 23 people. The lava came from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting from a rural residential area since early May. (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)

HILO — The captain of a lava tour boat hit by what authorities called a “lava bomb” Monday morning near the Kapoho lava ocean entry said he never saw the explosion that rained molten rocks down on top of his boat.